Ask TechBlog: Which Blu-ray player should I buy?

Regular readers know that, earlier this year, I finally bought an HDTV. I’d held out because I’d bought a big CRT TV while flat-screen prices were still high, and I was very happy with the picture I was getting. Now that I’ve been using my HDTV, I certainly wish I’d pulled the trigger early.

For watching movies on physical media, we’re still using a Toshiba DVD player. I bought this a couple of years ago and eschewed Blu-ray because the players were expensive and the format didn’t seem to have much momentum. Almost all of our movie watching now is done via streaming services such as Netflix and Amazon On Demand, but we do occasionally use DVDs.

However, prices for Blu-ray players are now quite affordable, and I’m thinking it may be time to make the leap. The TechBlog community was of great service when I bought my HDTV, and your recommendations led me to look at Samsung and ultimately buy one of that manufacturer’s sets. (Hey, thanks again, folks!)

So, once more, I turn to you.

Here’s what I need in a Blu-ray player:

• It’s gotta be cheap. I’m looking for something around $100, preferably less. This looks do-able, but I don’t want to end up with a low-quality model. Cheap doesn’t have to mean, well, “cheap”.

• No 3D. I’m not at all interested in watching 3D movies, at least not until they don’t require those stupid glasses. Eventually, technology may evolve to let us watch 3D TV without having to wear those silly things, but until that happens, I’m passing on it. My TV doesn’t support it anyway, so there’s no reason to have it in my Blu-ray player.

• No Wi-Fi. My Samsung TV is Internet-connected, and I’ve also got a Roku. I don’t need another device for capturing streaming video. There’s one caveat to that, though. As with modern TVs, most Blu-ray players have firmware that can be upgraded, fixing bugs and in some cases enabling features. I might want Wi-Fi connectivity for this reason. But if a player can be upgraded by plugging in a USB flash drive loaded with new firmware, I can live with that.

• It’s gotta be reliable. Reading the reviews of various players at Amazon.com, it strikes me that nearly every model has units that fail. It’s hard to tell from those reviews which are the most troublesome ones. While I want to hear about recommended models, I’d also like to hear about players to avoid. If you’ve had issues with your Blu-ray player, speak up!

Thanks for any help you can provide. And keep in mind that your answers will help not just me, but others who are shopping. I’ve heard from folks who consider your suggestions on HDTV shopping to be a valuable resource. Let’s build a similar resource for Blu-ray players.